Thursday, June 19, 2014

On Desire

I think its important to be able to discriminate between one's desires understanding the boundary between the lower and the higher. The following text was just recently published by a friend of mine today, Lee van Laer. He puts this in perspective for me, maybe for you too?

"Ordinarily, I am always measuring myself by my desire; and my desire is always to somehow to allow myself to fall short.


What there is a need for is to go one step past what I want to do, which is almost always selfish in one way or another. This needs to be looked at; it's so habitual, really, that I rarely notice it. I take my selfishness for granted; and that marks the line where hell's property begins.


There is a satisfaction in the fulfillment of duty. I have been brought to this planet to learn how to take one step past what I want, into what is good for others. It's this service that counts.


I'm tempted to live in a secret, personal space. It has many comforts; and many things that help me are imparted there. But the intention of inner work is to bring me into relationship, first with myself, of course — but then, always, with the outer, into which I ought to bring a little of the light I am sent."


There is another angle about this which has to do not with falling short, but fulfilling a promise (duty), but also once again taking it one step further. In committing oneself to producing more than what is asked of oneself, one consciously creates a dimension of freedom in which in the process of making an exchange one's conscious awareness operates creatively which would otherwise not be subject to that higher state and challenging tension.

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